? To give or not to give ? (Caninsulin)

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Becky & Louis

Becky & Louis

Member Since 2023
Good morning, I am new here but I have been reading threads over the last week.

My lovely cat Louis, 15, was diagnosed as diabetic on the 16/12/23. Started on caninsulin 1.5 units twice daily. He’s not had a fantastic week so far and I took him back to the vets yesterday as he has been very out of character at times this week. On examination he had a high temperature and urine dip suggested blood in the urine. The vet assumes he has a UTI, he’s had a convenia antibiotic injection and I had given a bolus of 50ml hartmans subcut at home as the vet thinks he may be dehydrated. The vet wants me to do a glucose curve test today as we now have a monitor at home. My issue is this morning; on checking his BG is 10mmol and he has barely eaten a morsel of breakfast and so I am reluctant to give his insulin for fear of sending him into a hypo. I will do his glucose monitoring regardless today to inform the vet. But does withholding insulin seem the right thing to do this morning ?

Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks, Becky and Louis.
 
It's been a few hours since you posted, but since Louis hasn't eaten and you're using Caninsulin, you might be right to skip the dose. It would help if we had more info. You said you have a home monitor to check glucose now, right? So that's a great first step!

I'm guessing you're not in the US? Caninsulin, aka Vetsulin, isn't the best choice of insulin for cats as it was created for dogs and doesn't have as long a duration in cats. It also creates fast, steep drops that can be dangerous. Other insulins like Lantus (glargine) and Prozinc are safer and longer acting.

There's a lot of information on this site that can help you. I've got to run, but I'll tag a few people who can get you started in the right direction.
@Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Wendy&Neko @Diane Tyler's Mom
 
By the way, the tag you included "GA" means "Gone Ahead," as in passed away. You might want to remove the GA as it will probably confuse people. :) You can replace it with the question mark if you like.
 
Thanks, I thought GA meant something different.

I went ahead and omitted his morning dose. He really isn’t right. I’m waiting on a call back from the vet but I think he may have to be admitted.

We are in the UK, yes, so caninsulin is what is commonly prescribed here I believe.

I’m beginning to worry this may be more than just an infection causing him to feel this way. His deterioration has been marked over the last week. He is very wobbly on his legs and having muscle twitches. He has eaten a small amount of wet food when hand fed today, but he is very vacant and lethargic. I am fearing the worst. This cat is my whole world. I just hope the vet can help soon.
 
I'm so sorry you're going through this. It sounds like a good idea to get him to the vet. Perhaps the UTI has progressed to a kidney infection, or maybe he has ketones. I'm not experienced enough to help, but I'll tag a couple more people for you. @Marje and Gracie
 
He had his ketones checked last night and at the time there were none present.

He definitely needs to go back to the vets, he seems very very unwell. I’m going to call them back as I’ve been waiting to hear from them for 3 hours now and I am getting quite concerned. Thank you for your reply
 
Becky --

You answered my first question -- were Louis' ketones checked. Just be aware that ketones can develop quickly. If you are as worried as you sound I would do one of two things. Call the vet's office back and tell them it's an emergency and you're bringing Louis is. Alternatively, is there an emergency vet clinic nearby?

With Caninsulin, you have to have food on board before giving insulin. You want your cat to have eaten 20 - 30 min prior to giving him his insulin. While his blood glucose levels were fine to give insulin, they were not fine if Louis isn't eating.

Convenia is a long acting antibiotic. It is used to treat skin infections. It's really not meant to treat UTIs. Vets like to use it because you don't have to pill your cat. The only way to know if an antibiotic is appropriate for treating a UTI is for the vet to collect sterile urine sample using a needle into the bladder (cystocentesis) and then run labs to determine what the bacteria is (culture and sensitivity). Without that information, the vet is picking an antibiotic that may not be specific to treating what's causing the UTI.
 
I’ve just dropped him off at the vets, I couldn’t bare to see him how he was, I’m so worried. He is going to stay in over night and have fluids and glucose curve testing as well as an abdominal ultrasound.

I’m hoping they will look at his urine more closely or take blood cultures to give him the appropriate antibiotic treatment.

I just hope he will be okay, I worry that there may be something underlying that has caused him to deteriorate so rapidly. I worry about the cost as he is not insured but I have to try and get him better, the alternative doesn’t bare thinking about.
 
Becky, I'm so sorry what you and Louis are going through, when you have any updates please let us know, sending prayers for your sweet Louis.:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Becky --

If it were me, I'd plan on calling and asking to talk to the vet who is caring for Louis in order to get an update. I would want to know if they had run labs to definitively rule out diabetic ketoacidosis. They will not be able to get immediate results if they plan to do a culture and sensitivity -- it takes several days to see if bacteria grows. I'd want to find out when you can visit. Many cats do not eat well when they are hospitalized. However, Louis may eat for you. If you visit, bring a food he likes.
 
I am truly devastated to say that he has reached his final stages. The vet agrees and tonight we will say goodbye. My heart is broken.
 
I am so sorry to hear this. Please know that you did everything you could for sweet Louis, and that he knows how much you love him. It is never easy saying goodbye. My thoughts are with you.
 
Thank you everyone. The goodbye was hard and I will forever question whether it was the right time, selfishly I wished for more but he was so unwell today. The vet and I agreed that there was something bigger at play here than diabetes and he was too unwell. I knew it in my heart on boxing day that things were not looking good, I’d just hoped if we kept trying he’d get better. I held him tight as he passed and I hope he felt how much I loved him in that moment.
 
Gabby crossed the Bridge in my arms close to Christmas several years ago. I came across this quote shortly thereafter. I hope it brings you some solace.

"Cats never completely leave you. They side step time, shrug off death -- come at the call of memory, their beauty undiminished, their touch as gentle, their love perpetual."
 
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